Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system connectors, and more particularly to an information handling system multi-purpose connector guide pin structure.
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Over time, information handling systems have packed ever-greater processing capabilities into ever-smaller housings. End users have migrated to mobile information handling systems in increasing numbers as improved processing capabilities have allowed mobile information handling systems to take on computing tasks of greater complexity. Over the past several years, mobile telephone information handling systems have become a common tool for enterprises and individuals to obtain e-mail and to basic Internet communications. End users have also found tablet information handling systems a convenient tool for performing basic computing functions while traveling. For example, the larger screen typically included with a tablet information handling system and a detachable keyboard provides a convenient tool for basic word processing tasks. The availability of small but powerful mobile information handling systems has spurred a greater interest by end users in more powerful laptop or “convertible” information handling systems that provide both mobility and processing capability to perform more intense processing tasks common to an office environment. As a result, information handling system manufacturers have attempted to reduce the physical footprint and weight of clamshell and convertible information handling systems without sacrificing processing capability.
The shift towards information handling systems having a lower form factor has run against two prominent difficulties: power and durability. Although processing components tend to decrease in size and increase in capability over time, batteries for powering mobile devices tend to have a given size for the amount of power stored that has not decreased substantially. As a result, information handling system manufacturers have attempted to reduce the amount of power that processing components consume so that the size of the battery can remain as small as practical. Typically, mobile information handling systems will rely on a single physical connector that provides both a data and a power interface, such as a microUSB connector. Generally, such connectors have a more limited power transfer capability than is found in conventional power adapters. In some cases, end users will plug in an external battery that couples to the information handling system housing to add battery life to the system. The smaller form factor used on many mobile information handling systems tends to reduce the ability of the systems to survive mechanical stresses, such as falling or vibrations experienced during typical usage scenarios. Generally, in order to build housings with the thin form factors demanded by consumers, manufacturers rely on specialized materials and designs that minimize system thickness. Such designs tend to have weak points around locations that intersect with external connectors, such as a charging connector. In some instances, the connector has nearly the thickness of the housing itself—which is often still quite thin. In addition to presenting a mechanical weakness, such connectors often are not user friendly in that aligning a cable into a connector having a small footprint sometimes presents a challenge to an end user.
To address restricted power delivery and the limited availability of connector ports on the small housing footprint of mobile information handling systems, industry has begun development of a Type C Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector. Type C USB provides a low profile connector that supports data, video and power delivery with a reversible form factor that allows cable insertion in multiple orientations. Type C USB is designed for USB 3.1 information transfer at rates of up to 20 Gps per land and up to 100 W of power delivery. Type C USB is a candidate for universal docking station connector that is scalable from small systems, such as the Dell Venue, to larger systems, such as the Dell Precision, with docking manageability through a transport channel and with host to device authentication. Although the Type C USB connector provides a generalized approach that addresses many mobile information handling system power and data requirements in a small-footprint form factor, its small size restricts structural strength and power transfer.